3 minute read

Barry Murphy admits he has "big boots to fill" after making a flying start to his training career at Limerick over the Festive period.

A son of multiple Grade One and Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Ferdy Murphy, Barry, who spent a number of years assisting former partner Liz Doyle, struck gold with just his third runner as Pairofbrowneyes ran out a decisive winner of the valuable Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Chase.

Murphy said: "It was nice to get one on the board so early, especially in a fairly big race.

"It's nice to have horse like him to start off with and we did fancy him. All the lads that own him had a good bet on him and there were plenty of celebrations, I can assure you.

"What road we'll go down now, I'm not sure. He's gone up 8lb.

"We'll give him an entry in the Leopardstown Chase on January 17 and see where we are nearer the time, but he's a progressive horse and I think he'll be fairly good if we just mind him to a certain extent for the rest of this season."

Murphy has a string of nearly 30 horses in work at his County Wexford base, but a number of those are likely to be sold on in time.

"We've got 28 horses riding out at the moment. We've a lot of nice, young horses from France that we'll run in bumper and point-to-points and then they'll be sold. That's just the way it is and what you have to do to survive," said Murphy.

"It's worked out well for us in the past with the likes of Al Ferof and Cheltenian and hopefully there's a few nice ones there.

"Hopefully we'll train a few winners as well, though. It's all right in handicaps, but when you get into the conditions and Graded races over here and you've got Willie (Mullins) and Gordon (Elliott) banging in winners left, right and centre, it's tough.

"I was with Liz for nine years, she was my partner and we have two sons together, but things didn't work out.

"I always wanted to go this way at some stage, training in my own name, but the opportunity never came along. When the situation changed, I thought I'd give it a go - nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say."

Ferdy Murphy, formerly one of the leading trainers on the jumps circuit in northern England, relocated to France two and a half years ago.

His son said: " My dad is in great form and I think he's enjoying the French lifestyle, rather than the hustle and bustle of training racehorses over in Britain.

"He has 20-odd horses, just to keep him interested more than anything.

"I have big boots to fill, but we'll do our best."